LET'S GET READY FOR MARDI GRAS! FIVE MEAT LOAF RECIPES AND ONE SEASONING
CAJUN MEATLOAF 1 1 medium yellow onion -- chopped 1 rib celery -- chopped 1/2 medium green bell pepper -- chopped 2 green onions -- minced 1 clove garlic -- minced 2 bay leaves 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper -- freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup catsup 1/2 cup bread crumbs -- fine, dry 1 pound lean ground beef 1/2 pound lean ground pork shoulder 2 eggs -- slightly beaten Preheat the oven to 375F. Mix the onion, celery, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cumin, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a heavy 10 inch skillet over moderate heat. Add the vegetable/spice mixture, and cook, uncovered, for 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions and peppers are soft. Remove from the heat & let cool until warm to the touch. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the milk, catsup, & bread crumbs. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, eggs, and the bread crumb mixture. Pack the meat mixture into a greased, 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. ****At this point the meatloaf can be covered tightly with aluminum foil and stored. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. (Place the covered meatloaf in the freezer; when frozen, remove from the pan, wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil, label & return to freezer). If you intend to microwave the frozen meatloaf, shape the meatloaf in an 8 inch round, then cut in half, freeze. Bake the meatloaf, uncovered, for 50 - 55 minutes or until it is dark brown & pulls away from the sides of the pan. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing. ****Serving Later: >From freezer: Unwrap the meatloaf, return it to the loaf pan & cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 325F. oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil & bake 40 - 50 minutes longer or until the loaf pull away from the sides of the pan; serve as in step # 4. To Microwave: Replace the foil with plastic wrap vented on one side. Microwave on Low (30% power) for 20 minutes. Rotate the plate 90 degrees & microwave on Low (30% power) another 20 minutes or until the loaf is defrosted in the center. Microwave on High(100% power) for 10 minutes. Rotate the plate 90 degrees & microwave on High(100% power) until the juices run clear when the loaf is pierced in the center, or a microwave meat thermometer registers 180F. - about 10 minutes longer. Serve as in step # 4. CAJUN MEATLOAF 2 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon paprika 3/4 teaspoon salt Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 cup tomato juice 1 pound each: ground beef or ground turkey and ground pork 2 slices whole-wheat or white bread, torn into small pieces 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt and cayenne. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, stir in the tomato juice and set mixture aside to cool slightly. Combine beef and pork in large bowl. Add bread, eggs, Worcestershire, sugar, hot sauce and onion mixture; mix lightly but thoroughly. Place mixture in a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Bake 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 degrees. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 6. Note: Ground turkey can replace either the beef or the pork. If you use a combination of turkey and pork, which will be more delicately flavored than meatloaf made with beef, reduce chili powder to 2 tablespoons and use tomato-vegetable cocktail juice instead of plain tomato juice. CAJUN MEATLOAF 3 SEASONING MIX 2 Whole bay leaves 1 teaspoon Salt 2 teaspoon Ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon White pepper 1/2 teaspoon Ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg MAIN INGREDIENTS 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter 3/4 cup Finely chopped onions 1/2 cup Bell peppers, chopped 1/4 cup Green onions, finely-chopped 2 teaspoons Minced garlic 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup Evaporated milk 1/2 cup Catsup 1-1/2 pounds Ground beef 1/2 pound Ground pork 2 Eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup Very fine bread crumbs Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire and seasoning mix. Sauté until mixture starts sticking excessively, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in the milk and catsup. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Place the ground beef and pork in an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Add the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture and the bread crumbs, remove the bay leaves. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined. In the center of the pan, shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1-1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. Bake uncovered at 350F for 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400F and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes longer. Serve immediately as is or with Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef. This is best using both ground pork and ground beef, as the pork gives more flavor diversity. However, you can make it with ground beef only. Yield: 10 servings CAJUN MEATLOAF 4 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onions 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup ketchup 1-1/2 pounds ground beef 1/2 pound andouille sausage, casings removed 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup dried bread crumbs In a small bowl, combine the bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, ground white pepper, cumin, and nutmeg; set aside. Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and reserved seasoning mix. Sauté until mixture starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, about 6 minutes. Stir in the milk and ketchup; continue cooking for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove vegetable mixture from heat, and allow to cool to room temperature. Place the beef and sausage in an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add the eggs, the vegetable mixture, and the bread crumbs. Remove the bay leaves. Mix well by hand, and form into a loaf about 1-1/2 inches high. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Then raise heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake for another 35 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings CAJUN MEATLOAF 5 2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick) 2 medium carrots, finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped 1 small green pepper, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press 2 pounds ground meat for meat loaf (veal, pork, and beef) 2 large eggs 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon Worcestershire 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons catsup fresh herbs for garnish In nonstick 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, and green pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Set aside to cool slightly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, mix ground meat, eggs, bread crumbs, milk, Worcestershire, salt, cumin, black pepper, thyme, nutmeg, ground red pepper, 1/2 cup catsup, and cooked vegetable mixture just until well combined but not over mixed. In 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan, shape meat mixture into 10 x 5-inch loaf. Brush remaining 2 tablespoons catsup over top of loaf. Bake meat loaf 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with herbs if you like. Serves: 8 Each serving: About 340 calories, 27 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams total fat (7 grams saturated), 139 milligrams cholesterol, 950 milligrams sodium. CAJUN MEATLOAF 6 2 whole bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3/4 cup finely chopped onions 1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup catsup 1-1/2 pounds ground beef 1/2 pound ground pork 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup very fine bread crumbs Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire and seasoning mix. Sauté until mixture starts sticking excessively, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in the milk and catsup. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Place the ground beef and pork in an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Add the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture and the bread crumbs, remove the bay leaves. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined. In the center of the pan, shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1-1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. Bake uncovered at 350F for 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400F and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes longer. Serve immediately as is or with Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef. This is best using both ground pork and ground beef, as the pork gives more flavor diversity. However, you can make it with ground beef only. Enjoy. >From Angelique _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
